LIFE@OSU » Eventshttp://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu
The lives and stories of Oregon State UniversityFri, 16 Feb 2018 20:47:10 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.8GRADx will give audience a glimpse into the lives of OSU graduate studentshttp://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2018/gradx-will-give-audience-a-glimpse-into-the-lives-of-osu-graduate-students/
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2018/gradx-will-give-audience-a-glimpse-into-the-lives-of-osu-graduate-students/#commentsFri, 16 Feb 2018 20:30:39 +0000http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/?p=9321Six Oregon State graduate students will share stories that frame their research in a TEDx-style format

]]>Six Oregon State graduate students will share stories that frame their research in a TEDx-style format, in a new program called GRADx. The students represent a wide variety of backgrounds and research areas, and their presentations are intended to provoke discussion and reach an audience beyond their academic peers.

The event takes place Feb. 22 from 6 to 8 p.m. in Milam Auditorium Room 026. It is free and open to the public, and includes a short networking/discussion event, a cash bar & hors-d’oeuvres.

Organizers Andres Lopez and Matt Tradewell are both graduate research assistants for the Graduate Success Team in the Graduate School.

“We were given the opportunity to pitch an event idea for the winter term,” Lopez said. “Matt and I both love TED Talks, and we agreed that we wanted to host a similar event that featured graduate students work but also told a story about the human elements of the graduate process that was relatable to a broader audience.”

Lopez said during graduate school, it almost feels as if you are becoming a different human being each term, and they wanted to capture that experience. They partnered with the OSU radio show “Inspiration Dissemination,” which highlights graduate student’s lives and passion for research at OSU. Once the Graduate School approved the idea it started to come together.

“I believe GRADx will give audiences insight into these human elements of graduate work that is often hidden from the public view,” Lopez said. “There is more to our work than just professional contributions. GRADx promises to share these multiple meanings of what we do and why we do it.”

The six participants were selected from a list of guests on Inspiration Dissemination as well as the Graduate Student Success Team. They were selected for their skills at science communication as well as being representative of a diversity of thought, discipline, biography and identity. The speakers will discuss social equity, identity advancement, diversity, tenacity, passion, and community.

The participants are Masoud Ghodrat Abadi, fourth year Ph.D. student/candidate in the School of Civil and Construction Engineering; Katherine Dziedzic, fifth year Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Integrative Biology; David Hubert, third year Ph.D. student and NSF Graduate Research Fellow in the Department of Integrative Biology; Nicole J. Hams, Ph.D. in biophysics from Oregon State; Cristòf Del Aquelarre Errante, M.A. student in Applied Anthropology and Public Health; and Terese D. Jones, Ph.D. student in Human Development and Family Sciences.

In addition to sharing more about what makes the lives and research of graduate students unique, the organizers hope that the event will get undergraduates excited and interested about pursuing a graduate degree. The networking event following the discussion will help support that goal, and will include Graduate School representatives available to answer questions, Lopez said.

Formal dances were once a thing of the past at OSU but they’re being revived for a winter formal. (courtesy OSU Archives & Special Collections)

The winter formal dance was a tradition for decades at Oregon State University. The Memorial Union Ballroom would get a dazzling makeover and students would don sumptuous suits and lavish gowns to dance the night away under shimmering lights as a live band played from the stage.

The tradition all but disappeared in recent years, but the formal dance is being revived this winter as part of OSU150, the university’s 15-month-long celebration of its founding. The Winter Wonderland Formal will be held from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Jan. 27 in the MU Ballroom. The event is free and only open to students and their guests.

The idea to bring back the formal dance emerged from a think tank of student leaders brought together by Shelly Signs, OSU150’s executive director. Signs brought the group of about 20 student leaders together to help brainstorm events they wanted to see included in the university’s anniversary celebration.

The group generated about 33 pages of ideas, but the most popular idea, and the one they kept coming back to, was the formal dance, said Hannah Loh, dance event coordinator.

“We realized that there are house dances that go on in Greek Life, but other than that, there’s not really any other prom-like event that college students can go to,” said Loh, a merchandising management major with a minor in business and entrepreneurship. “We really liked the idea of having that just because it sounded fun and a great way to relive the tradition that used to take place in the MU Ballroom.”

This year’s dance will pay homage to the tradition of the past, with a fancy dress code, a live band for the first half of the night, and dance lessons. Wintery decorations in blue, silver and white will create a winter wonderland effect.

However, parts of the event will be modernized to reflect today’s times and how much the university has changed and grown. Half way through the night, the live band will be replaced with a DJ so students can show off their new school moves in their old school clothes. A photo booth will be available to capture the memories.

The event is free for students and their guests but space is limited, so students are being encouraged to pick up tickets soon at the Student Experience Center front desk. Students must have their OSU ID card to get tickets and may get one extra ticket for a non-OSU guest.

“Students have been very excited about it, so much so that I definitely think it’s going to reach capacity,” Signs said. “I think really what has inspired them is seeing the vintage pictures of people dressed up in the Memorial Union Ballroom. We want to make sure everyone has a place to wear their fancy clothes, so students should not wait to reserve their spots.”

The annual Oregon State University celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., takes place Jan. 13-19. This is the 36th year of the event. It is one of the university’s longest-running social justice events.

The weeklong series consists of workshops, speakers, service opportunities and other community engagement events hosted by departments and units throughout Oregon State.

At 11 a.m., keynote speaker Melissa Harris-Perry will speak in The LaSells Stewart Center’s Austin Auditorium. Harris-Perry is a writer, political commentator, former MSNBC TV host and the Maya Angelou Presidential Chair at Wake Forest University.

Harris-Perry is also the author of the award-winning books “Barbershops, Bibles and BET: Everyday Talk and Black Political Thought,” and “Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America.”

Following the keynote address, all community members are invited to join in a Peace March from The LaSells Stewart Center to the Student Experience Plaza.

]]>http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/osu-to-host-36th-annual-dr-martin-luther-king-jr-celebration/feed/0Oregon State wants college, high school students to celebrate Halloween safelyhttp://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/oregon-state-want-college-high-school-students-to-celebrate-halloween-safely/
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/oregon-state-want-college-high-school-students-to-celebrate-halloween-safely/#commentsFri, 27 Oct 2017 21:23:53 +0000http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/?p=9218OSU is reaching out to the student population to encourage and support responsible drinking and hosting

Tis the season for black cats, pumpkins and parties (photo: Theresa Hogue)

As Halloween approaches, Oregon State University and the City of Corvallis are focusing their efforts on making sure that students have a safe holiday celebration. Halloween weekend is typically a busy time for law enforcement and emergency room staff as under-aged and excessive drinking, driving while under the influence, and other high-risk behaviors increase due in part to an influx of young people from other areas looking to celebrate in a college town.

To mitigate problems associated with the holiday, Oregon State, with help from local government and law enforcement agencies, is reaching out to the student population to encourage and support responsible drinking and hosting, alternative alcohol-free events, bystander intervention and respectful, culturally appropriate costumes.

Additionally, Oregon State’s Jon Stoll, director of Corvallis Community Relations, is reaching out to parents of local high school students to pass on tips about making safe personal choices. In a letter being disseminated by the Corvallis School District, the university is providing access to OSU resources as well as a tip sheet for parents on talking to their high school children on making informed decisions about alcohol consumption and other high-risk behaviors.

“The first weeks of our fall term have historically included Halloween celebrations at private-off campus residences, which can create additional risk of harm,” Stoll said. “OSU is deeply committed to the safety of students and focuses many of its efforts on this time of the year to create healthy environments. These efforts go a long way in ensuring students have safe and productive academic careers, but we also encourage family members to help in these efforts.”

Some tips for Oregon State students includes making sure to know your destination when you leave the house, know what friends are going with you, and keep drinking to a minimum or don’t drink at all. Keep the number of SafeRide or local taxi companies close by, watch your drinks, and if you’re hosting, know who is in your home at all times and don’t serve alcohol to minors.

Students are also encouraged to know the signs of alcohol poisoning in themselves and in friends. These include shallow breathing, unresponsiveness, cold and clammy skin, pale or blueish skin and vomiting. Students who call 911 for help in this situation will not be charged with an MIP (Minor in Possession).

Bystander intervention is key for students, both to prevent alcohol poisoning as well as sexual and/or physical assault. If something doesn’t seem right, students are asked to intervene if they can safely do so, or to get help.

While the focus of this outreach is to stop problems before they happen, Corvallis Police and the Oregon State Police housed at OSU will triple their presence in support of a safe Halloween holiday weekend.

]]>A Homecoming Showcase will highlight the amazing breadth of academic work happening around campus, as well as capture the spirit of the OSU150 celebration, which kicked off this summer with the OSU150 Space Grant Festival during the solar eclipse.

The Homecoming Academic Showcase takes place in the lobby of Gill Coliseum on Friday, Oct. 13 from 1 – 6 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 14 from 10 a.m. until the 1 p.m. football kickoff. Visitors to the exhibit can explore the history of the university, and get a peek at what OSU’s 12 colleges are up to, as well as OSU Extension and OSU Libraries and Press.

“The liberal arts are central to Oregon State’s land grant mission,” said Celene Carillo, College of Liberal Arts communication director. “We’re excited that the showcase offers us another forum to tell that story. Oregon State has strong traditions in the arts and social sciences and an even brighter future.”

Not only can students learn about many academic programs and traditions, but staff and faculty can also expand their knowledge about the university’s varied colleges and departments and their rich history.

“Instruction in engineering at Oregon State dates back to the 1880s,” said Thuy Tran, College of Engineering director of marketing and communications. “Since then the College of Engineering has graduated more than 35,000 alumni. As we celebrate OSU150, we proudly recognize their sustained contributions to society and science. Together and with purpose, we look forward to advancing our mission of transforming lives and enhancing society through impactful engineering education and research.”

]]>http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/homecoming-academic-showcase/feed/0Expert on civic engagement will give University Day keynotehttp://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/expert-on-civic-engagement-will-give-university-day-keynote/
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/expert-on-civic-engagement-will-give-university-day-keynote/#commentsMon, 07 Aug 2017 22:55:37 +0000http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/?p=9141Harry Boyte is a senior scholar in public work philosophy at the Sabo Center for Democracy and Citizenship

An expert on civic engagement and democracy will give the keynote address at Oregon State University’s University Day celebration on Sept. 18. Harry Boyte, senior scholar in public work philosophy at the Sabo Center for Democracy and Citizenship at Augsburg College, will speak at 10:30 a.m. in The La Sells Stewart Center.

University Day is the official kickoff of the 2017-2018 school year for OSU faculty and staff. The day begins with a new employee breakfast at Reser Stadium and a reception in The LaSells Stewart Center at 9:30 a.m., followed by the keynote address and the presentation of the University Day awards, which honor outstanding faculty, staff and graduate students. The event is followed by a free lunch for OSU employees and an expo of vendors at the CH2M Hill Alumni Center.

Boyte is the architect of the Sabo Center’s public work approach to civic engagement and democracy. He has worked internationally with foundations, and non-profit, educational, and citizen organizations concerned with community development, citizenship education, and civic renewal.

Boyte served as a senior advisor to the National Commission on Civic Renewal and presented research findings at a Camp David seminar on the future of democracy. He is the author of nine books on citizenship, democracy, and community organizing, and his writings have appeared in more than 100 publications including the New York Times, Perspectives on Politics, Kettering Review, and the Wall Street Journal. In the 1960s, he worked for the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a field secretary with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in the Civil Rights Movement.

]]>http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/expert-on-civic-engagement-will-give-university-day-keynote/feed/0Bard in the Quad at OSU to present ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/bard-in-the-quad-at-osu-to-present-two-gentlemen-of-verona/
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/bard-in-the-quad-at-osu-to-present-two-gentlemen-of-verona/#commentsTue, 25 Jul 2017 17:38:47 +0000http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/?p=9127Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. nightly from Aug. 3-6 and Aug. 10-13

Henry will be in the starring canine role in “Two Gentlemen of Verona.” A resident of Heartland Humane Society, he is available for adoption. (photo: Lanesha Reagan)

Oregon State University Theatre’s Bard in the Quad returns for its 12th season this August with a western-themed production of Shakespeare’s romantic comedy, “Two Gentlemen of Verona.”

Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. nightly from Aug. 3-6 and Aug. 10-13 in the Memorial Union Quad, 2501 S.W. Jefferson Way, Corvallis.

Bard in the Quad performances are held outside and no seating is provided, creating a fun, laid-back atmosphere. Attendees are encouraged to bring low lawn chairs and/or blankets, warm clothing and food if desired. Seating begins at 6:30 p.m. and no one will be seated prior to that time.

“Two Gentlemen of Verona” is a romantic comedy about Proteus and Valentine, two inseparable friends living happily in Verona. When Valentine seeks his fortune in Milan and ends up leaving Proteus behind, promises are broken as Proteus finds himself suddenly infatuated with Valentine’s love-interest, Sylvia.

With a new setting in the American Wild West and music presented by Miss Kitty and the Barn Bangerz, the story of action, disguise, mistaken identity, and a scene-stealing dog unfolds.

This summer’s production will feature adoptable dogs playing the role of a senior dog named Crab for each performance. The dogs will be provided by Heartland Humane Society and Heartland volunteers will join the cast and crew in promoting the organization’s work caring for homeless animals in Benton County.

The cast features Oregon State University students, staff, alumni and community members including: Stuart Ashenbrenner as Valentine; Sedona Garcia as Sylvia; Forest Gilpin as Thurio; Matt Holland as Launce; Emily Peters as Miss Kitty; Andrew Schiek as Speed; Cheyenne Dickey as Antonia/Bandit; Matt Easdale as Bandit; Genesis Hansen as Julia; Kay Keegan as musician; Grace Klinges as Lucetta/Bandit; Mac Powers as musician; Mike Stephens as Duke of Milan; and Kyle Stockdall as Proteus.

Tickets are $15 for general admission, $10 for students and seniors, and $5 for OSU students. Tickets are available online at http://oregonstate.edu/dept/theatre/ or available by phone at the Theater Arts Box Office at 541-737-2784. A box office also will be available in the MU quad at 6:30 p.m. on performance evenings.

For disability access accommodations or information about group sales call Marissa Solini, the box office manager, at 541-737-2853.

]]>http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/bard-in-the-quad-at-osu-to-present-two-gentlemen-of-verona/feed/0Corvallis native’s songs open Special Olympics Oregon ceremonieshttp://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/corvallis-natives-songs-open-special-olympics-oregon-ceremonies/
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/corvallis-natives-songs-open-special-olympics-oregon-ceremonies/#commentsMon, 17 Jul 2017 16:50:15 +0000http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/?p=9113Corvallis is the new home of Special Olympics Oregon summer games

When 18-year-old Shawn Hinz walked onto the stage on Oregon State’s Prothro Field, he was sporting a new haircut and a lot of bottled-up excitement. Facing an audience filled with athletes and coaches from Special Olympics Oregon, Hinz rallied the crowd with his keyboard rendition of a slew of pop songs.

The audience cheered and danced as he started singing Rachel Platten’s hit, “Fight Song”. Before starting, Hinz told the crowd, “This song is about how you should keep fighting, and you should never give up.” It was the perfect theme for the Special Olympics Oregon Summer State Games.

Hinz, who graduated from Corvallis High School this June, competed in golf at the games, with his family at his side. The motto of the international organization, “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt,” sums up what it means to Hinz be a competitor, and as a tri-sport athlete and talented musician, he embodies all the things Special Olympics stands for.

The games not only give an opportunity to young athletes like Hinz to compete in athletic endeavors, but brings together people from all over the state, spread out across all ages and backgrounds. Special Olympics Oregon has been so important to Hinz that he struggled to pinpoint exactly why he loves being a part of the organization.

“Just all the diversity of it, everyone that’s involved, the volunteers, the officials, the athletes,” said Hinz. “It’s just such a great atmosphere here, and I love sports, I really love sports.”

Shawn’s entire family supports and participates in Special Olympics Oregon. Kathy, Shawn’s mother, is an assistant coach for basketball and golf, and her son’s head coach for swimming. During the Summer State Games, she volunteered and participated in scorekeeping the Bocce tournament.

Talking about their mother-son coaching relationship, Kathy explained, “If he’s slacking off, I tell him to swim faster.” Nodding his head and chuckling, Shawn agreed.

OSU played host to Special Olympics Oregon events this summer. Photo: Mckenna Hollingsworth

For the family, the best time of every week is the night of Special Olympics Oregon practice. It’s such an important event for the family, they plan their vacations around regionals and the Summer State Games. The international organization Special Olympics, was created in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, and has continued to grow over the years. Now spread across 169 countries, according to Special Olympics international, is creating a new culture of inclusion and community for those with intellectual disabilities.

Close to tears, Kathy spoke about how the misconceptions held by the public about people with intellectual disabilities can be harmful and more than that, deeply hurtful.

“They don’t realize how talented the athletes really are, and how amazing they are as people,” said Kathy. “They have so much to offer our community and our world.”

Hinz, who heads to Linn-Benton Community College this fall, is excited to pursue one of his other passions, music. A year ago, Hinz created a YouTube channel filled with him singing covers of popular songs and his own remixes. His most popular video, with almost a thousand views, is of his performance at Corvallis High School’s talent show, singing and playing the piano to the consistent, inspiring anthem, “Fight Song”.

Hinz plans on studying music at LBCC for the next few years, and after that he wants to teach music to others with disabilities. Music and sports have been two factors in his life since he was young, inspiring himself and others along his path. The future for those with disabilities gets a little brighter with Shawn leading the way.

“To see everyone get the same opportunities to compete in, it’s just really cool,” said Hinz.

An annual celebration of science, art and fun is returning to Corvallis this week. da Vinci Days is Oregon’s premier arts and science festival. It is organized by da Vinci Days Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1988.

The strength of da Vinci Days is due to the legion of volunteers who run programs and two decades of strong community collaborations among businesses, Oregon State University and Benton County and City of Corvallis officials. The goal continues to be to engage the community in this vibrant, educational, and fun Festival and to deliver an unforgettable weekend for attendees, participants, and volunteers.

The following is a schedule of this week’s events:

July 14: Keynote Speaker at the Whiteside Theater, 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)

Timothy L. Weber, Global Head of 3D Materials & Advanced Applications, HP Inc., will speak on “3-D printing and the coming revolution.” A discussion of how 3-D and other megatrends are leading to a next industrial revolution. Applications include using multi-jet fusion to enable the manufacture of products that are impossible to make with conventional means.

A native and current resident of Corvallis, Tim is a member of the Oregon Nano and Micro Institute Board, the Corvallis Economic Advisory Board, and the Oregon State University College of Engineering Board. He holds a PhD in engineering from Oregon State University.

Continuous live music from 12:30 to 8:30 pm, featuring The Svens, Flamenco Pacifico, and Belly Full of Bob. Free admission. Parking: $5 per carload (bike parking is free). Please leave pets at home; service animals are welcome.

]]>http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/local-celebration-da-vinci-days-returns-this-week/feed/0Special Olympians will help OSU researchers gain further health insightshttp://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/special-olympians-will-help-osu-researchers-gain-further-health-insights/
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/special-olympians-will-help-osu-researchers-gain-further-health-insights/#commentsFri, 07 Jul 2017 15:46:05 +0000http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/?p=9104More than 2,000 athletes will descend on Corvallis on July 8 and 9

Tents go up in front of Reser Stadium in preparation for Special Olympics Oregon (photo: Theresa Hogue)

More than 2,000 athletes will descend on Corvallis on July 8 and 9, competing in the Special Olympics Oregon Summer State Games while also helping to further research into the health of people with intellectual disabilities.

“There still is this misconception that if you have a disability, then you cannot be healthy,” said Gloria Krahn, the Barbara Emily Knudson Endowed Chair in Family Policy Studies at Oregon State University. “I would’ve thought that after 25 years, we would be past some of that. Special Olympics is helping bring about that change.”

Oregon State is hosting the Summer State Games, which feature track and field, bocce, golf and softball, with events split between Corvallis High School and the OSU campus.

Special Olympics Oregon’s Healthy Athletes program will also be part of the Summer State Games, providing free health screenings for the athletes. The screenings involve six areas called Fit Feet, FUNfitness, health promotion, Healthy Hearing, Opening Eyes and Special Smiles. Strength, flexibility, balance and endurance will be tested, and athletes will be given a take-home program based on their results that aims to improve and encourage their participation in sports and recreational activities.

Special Olympics Oregon also provides a program called Oregon Team Wellness for those with intellectual disabilities. The program incorporates incentives and rewards to reach benchmarks, with the ultimate goal of lifelong healthy choices and habits.

The program, which started in Oregon, has spread to other states in the Northwest. Researchers at OSU, including Alicia Dixon-Ibarra, a post-doctoral scholar in OSU’s College of Public Health and Human Sciences, and Krahn, are working with Special Olympics to evaluate the program.

Dixon-Ibarra is working on the research and practical side of the games.

She will gather information used in research designed to further improve the health of people with intellectual disabilities. All the information from the weekend will go into one of the largest data sets for people with intellectual disabilities in the world, and can show discrepancies between different countries and their health issues. One area of the world could have issues relating to tooth decay, for example, while another may have higher rates of obesity.

“I find this job really rewarding,” Dixon-Ibarra said. “I know there’s a huge need for health care and health promotion for this population based on my own research and the research of others in my area, and that this is a big need that we’re fulfilling with these programs.”

Dixon-Ibarra said a common misconception is that people with intellectual disabilities can’t be as healthy as those without. Also, Krahn notes that until relatively recently, trying to keep a person with a disability active and healthy fell solely on the family, without much help from school districts or other groups that organize sports and other recreational activities.

Helping to change attitudes, the researchers say, are programs like the Special Olympics, founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1986. From a small beginning – just 1,000 athletes competed in the first Special Olympics World Games – the Special Olympics are now in 169 nations and encourage more than 4 million people with developmental disabilities to be active and healthy. Shriver will be posthumously honored for her work on July 12 at the 25th annual ESPYS on ABC.

Athletes and coaches will stay in OSU residence halls during the Summer State Games. Parking is free around Reser Stadium, and admission is free to all events. The public is invited to watch the athletes compete, and a complete schedule of the events can be found here.

]]>http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/special-olympians-will-help-osu-researchers-gain-further-health-insights/feed/0OSU 148th Commencement Ceremony Set for June 17http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/osu-148th-commencement-ceremony-set-for-june-17/
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/osu-148th-commencement-ceremony-set-for-june-17/#commentsThu, 15 Jun 2017 17:01:21 +0000http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/?p=9091Oregon State University will graduate a record 6,807 students during its 148th commencement ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 17, at Reser Stadium in Corvallis. Gates will open at 9 a.m. for the event, which is free, open to the public and held rain or shine. Tickets are not required. The 6,807 graduating students will […]

Oregon State University will graduate a record 6,807 students during its 148th commencement ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 17, at Reser Stadium in Corvallis.

Gates will open at 9 a.m. for the event, which is free, open to the public and held rain or shine. Tickets are not required.

The 6,807 graduating students will receive 7,097 degrees, according to OSU Registrar Rebecca Mathern. (There will be 276 students receiving two degrees and seven who will receive three degrees.) They will add to the ranks of Oregon State alumni, which have earned 243,081 degrees over the university’s history.

The commencement address will be given by Hüsnü M. Özyeğin, who arrived at Oregon State in 1963 with only $100 in his pocket. He graduated and went on to become a highly successful business leader and philanthropist in Turkey and Europe. He also will receive an honorary doctorate in civil engineering.

Özyeğin has made significant contributions to the global community with extensive work in social entrepreneurship, education, women’s rights, equity, child and youth development, and arts and cultural preservation.

Some facts and figures about OSU’s Class of 2017:

Of the 7,097 degrees that will be awarded, 5,590 will go to students receiving baccalaureate degrees; 1,066, master’s degrees; 311, doctor of philosophy degrees; 76, doctor of pharmacy degrees; 51, doctor of veterinary medicine degrees; and and three doctor of education. (The doctor of pharmacy and doctor of veterinary medicine degrees are awarded at separate ceremonies.)

Nearly 1,000 Oregon State distance students completed degree requirements online this year through OSU Ecampus, the university’s online education division. The graduates hail from nearly all 50 states and more than a half-dozen countries.

Each OSU graduate has a compelling story. For example:

Justyn Jacobs, a political science, pre-law major in the College of Liberal Arts is graduating magna cum laude. A rare and aggressive form of dyslexia left her illiterate until she was diagnosed in fifth grade. She was a member of the women’s rowing team, helped OSU’s Hillel grow from five individuals to more than 60 active participants in two years and was a writer for Her Campus, a publication which educates readers about politics and combats extreme hate.

Madison Esposito majored in bioresource research, an interdisciplinary biosciences major centered around student research. From Georgia, she was attracted to OSU because of the opportunity to conduct research as an undergraduate in the university’s College of Agricultural Sciences. She is conducting research in epigenetics and plans to attend medical school to become a forensic pathologist. After graduation, she will begin a two-year research internship at the National Institutes of Health.

Mathern, the OSU registrar, said the university expects about 4,000 students to attend commencement. Oregon State is one of the only universities of its size to hand out actual diplomas to students as they graduate.

]]>http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/osu-148th-commencement-ceremony-set-for-june-17/feed/0Historic photos, documents of Oregon conservationists digitized, will tour the statehttp://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/historic-photos-documents-of-oregon-conservationists-digitized-will-tour-the-state/
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/historic-photos-documents-of-oregon-conservationists-digitized-will-tour-the-state/#commentsFri, 28 Apr 2017 16:17:36 +0000http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/?p=9017OSU has collaborated on a digital project that is making 40 years of Oregon wildlife conservation photos and documents available to the general public.

Oregon State University has collaborated on a digital project that is making 40 years of Oregon wildlife conservation photos and documents available to the general public.

The new digital collection features photographs and manuscripts by noted conservationist William L. Finley, his wife Irene and friend Herman T. Bohlman. Finley’s interest in wildlife conservation began when he and Bohlman, a boyhood friend, began photographing birds around Oregon at the turn of the 20th century. Together their work was crucial in helping establish wildlife refuges in Oregon.

The Oregon Historical Society’s Davies Family Research Library and Oregon State University Libraries’ Special Collections and Archives Research Center worked together to digitize a large array of documents related to that work, including photographs, manuscripts, publications, correspondence and other materials. The project began in July 2016 and will be completed by June 30, 2017, and will include approximately 6,500 photographs and 8,600 pages of manuscript material.

In addition to the online collection, the work will be shown at lectures around Oregon in late April through early June.

The project, “Reuniting Finley and Bohlman,” is funded in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through its Library Services and Technology Act grant program. Many of the photographs and documents are already available on the project’s digital collection website at http://oregondigital.org/sets/finley-bohlman.

The photographs include Finley and Bohlman’s trips to Malheur Lake, the Klamath Lakes and Three Arch Rocks on the Oregon coast – and these photographs played a key role in President Theodore Roosevelt’s decision to create wildlife refuges at those locations.

The public lecture and slide presentation, “On the Road with Finley and Bohlman,” started in Burns, Oregon, on April 25 and will also be offered at these locations:

]]>http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/historic-photos-documents-of-oregon-conservationists-digitized-will-tour-the-state/feed/0Oregon State University to hold “Take Back the Night” eventhttp://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/oregon-state-university-to-hold-take-back-the-night-event/
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/oregon-state-university-to-hold-take-back-the-night-event/#commentsWed, 26 Apr 2017 23:34:17 +0000http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/?p=9015March, rally and survivor speak-out on Thursday, April 27

]]>Oregon State University will hold a march, rally and survivor speak-out on Thursday, April 27, in recognition of “Take Back the Night,” an event held in many locations throughout the world to raise awareness about sexual violence.

The OSU event begins at 7:30 p.m., in the Student Experience Center Plaza on the Corvallis campus. Speakers featured at this event include Brenda Tracy, Jackie Sandmeyer, and Rachel Grisham. Additionally, there will be a talk by Tracy and Sandmeyer about sexual violence on college campuses April 27, 4 p.m., in the MU Horizon Room.

“Take Back the Night” is just one event of many being held in April at Oregon State to acknowledge Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Organizers say the events provide opportunities for students, staff and faculty to declare as a community that sexual violence will not be tolerated on the OSU campus.

Oregon State is committed to preventing all forms of sexual violence and providing a campus environment that fosters a culture of respect and healthy interpersonal relationships, according to Judy Neighbours, associate director of the Survivor Advocacy and Resource Center (SARC) at Oregon State.

Sexual violence – in the form of sexual harassment, dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking – negatively impacts the lives of survivors and those around them, Neighbours pointed out. People of all genders, races, cultural backgrounds, religions, socioeconomic levels, marital status, abilities or levels of education can experience sexual violence.

Nationally, one in five women and one in 16 men experience sexual violence while attending college. There are additional students who have experienced other forms of violence, including stalking and dating violence.

“We know that many will not report their assault, and OSU wants students and the community to know that the university provides numerous services to students exposed to this tragic experience,” Neighbours said.

SARC offers students a safe and confidential place to discuss their experience with an advocate. The advocate can help them understand their rights for reporting and for safety, assist with any housing or academic needs that arise as a result of their experience, and refer them to Student Health Services and/or Counseling and Psychological Services.

When students do want to report their experience to the university, the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access assists with investigating complaints of sexual misconduct.

A bicyclist passes by Cordley Hall on the OSU campus. (photo: Theresa Hogue)

Oregon State University (OSU), in partnership with the Oregon Cascades West Council of Governments (OCWCOG), will be bringing the Pedal Corvallis bikeshare program to campus, by installing two bikeshare stations and locating eight bikes in late April. The stations will be located on Jefferson Avenue near the Kerr Administration Building, and on Monroe Avenue at Weniger Hall, thanks to sponsorship from OSU Transportation Services and the OSU Sustainability Office.

A celebratory expansion launch will be held at OSU’s Beyond Earth Day Community Fair, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday, April 25, at the Student Experience Center Plaza. The event is open to the public.

“OCWCOG is pleased to partner with OSU on the expansion of Pedal Corvallis,” said Fred Abousleman, Executive Director, OCWCOG. “This expansion provides a tremendous opportunity for the students on campus and residents throughout the community, as we continue to offer an easy and cost-effective additional form of transportation. We look forward to working with OSU and the community on ensuring Pedal Corvallis’ success.”

The OSU stations are the first expansion of Pedal Corvallis since the system was launched last June. A total of 221 Corvallis residents and visitors have taken over 1,200 bikeshare trips so far. Pedal Corvallis, in partnership with local Medicaid provider InterCommunity Health Network Coordinated Care Organization (INH-CCO), is a pilot bikeshare program of OCWCOG. All bike and station maintenance is performed by Zagster, a bikeshare vendor with operations throughout the U.S.

The fleet of white bikes parked at designated racks throughout the City are available to anyone age 18 or older. An annual pass costs $25, a monthly pass $10, and a three-day pass $5. Pass holders can use their phone to unlock the bikes for rides of 2 hours or less for free. With the OSU expansion, Pedal Corvallis will have eight stations, with 41 bicycles and two adult trikes.

“Bikesharing gives you the freedom of a bike without needing to buy, store, or maintain one of your own. It will also give you access to a bike when yours isn’t on campus” said Meredith Williams, director of OSU Transportation Services. “This adds another great option for students, employees, and campus visitors wanting to get around Corvallis. Pedal Corvallis will complement existing services such as the free campus shuttle, Zipcar, and the many transit routes that serve OSU.”

In addition to OSU and IHN-CCO, financial sponsors ofPedal Corvallisare SamFit, Linn-Benton Community College, NuScale Power, the Corvallis Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, First Alternative Co-op, Woodstocks Pizza, and the City of Corvallis Active Transportation Program. Community partners include the City of Corvallis, Benton County, Corvallis 509J School District, Samaritan Health Services, Oregon State Credit Union, and the Mid-Valley Bicycle Club.

]]>Oregon State University Recreational Sports is hosting the OSU Virtual Run & Walk on May 6 as a way to fundraise for Rec Sports and pledge your commitment to Oregon State University. Participants can make a gift on the event’s registration page and pledge to walk a 5K, 10K, half-marathon or marathon on May 6. All virtual walkers and runners will receive a finisher’s medal from Rec Sports for participating.

Participants can walk, run or swim at any location during the event in order to participate. The event coincides with the annual Rec Sports Intramural 5K Fun Run at Avery Park on May 6 as part of Spring Family Weekend at Oregon State.

Although people are encouraged to participate the day of the event, it is not required, and the pledge can be fulfilled at a different time. Organizers also do not require proof of completion, although they encourage participants to take photos or video of their walks, runs, etc and post them to social media with the tag #OSUVirtualRun.

The Virtual Run is part of a celebration of Rec Sports’ 100th anniversary. For the past 100 years, Oregon State Recreational Sports has provided countless opportunities for students, faculty, and community members to lead healthy, active lives and better themselves both physically and mentally.

“By making a tax-deductible gift, you are helping to ensure that the Oregon State community will be able to take advantage of this amazing resource for the next 100 years, and beyond,” said race director Tina Clawson.

]]>http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/osu-virtual-run-walk/feed/1Staying informed in a post-truth, fake news erahttp://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/staying-informed-in-a-post-truth-fake-news-era/
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/staying-informed-in-a-post-truth-fake-news-era/#commentsTue, 11 Apr 2017 21:12:17 +0000http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/?p=8978Fake news explored in a speaker series at Oregon State University this spring

]]>Fake news has become a catch-phrase in the modern political arena, but what does it really mean? Is it a label for unethical, biased journalism or a turn-of-phrase for news that doesn’t meet one’s personal agenda? How do you spot fake news, and what do you do about it?

Scholars will explore these ideas and more in a speaker series at Oregon State University this spring.

“As a librarian, I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea of fake news and how to be an educated consumer of media,” said Laurie Bridges, associate professor and instruction and outreach librarian at Oregon State. “The aim of this speaker’s series is to make sense of the idea of fake news and see how media has been used to both educate and manipulate the public throughout modern history.”

Speakers will make presentations at OSU during April and May, and all lectures are all free and open to the public. The series is sponsored by OSU Libraries; OSU Press; OSU Ethnic Studies; the OSU Center for Civic Engagement; and the OSU School of History, Philosophy, and Religion.

The topics include:

“Alternative Facts”

Peter Laufer, 3-4 p.m. April 27, Willamette Rooms, The Valley Library

In an age of instant news and “alternative facts,” information consumers need easy-to-follow rules for sorting truth from lies. Award-winning journalist and University of Oregon Professor Peter Laufer will present Slow News: A Manifesto for the Critical News Consumer. Inspired by the Slow Food movement, a timely antidote is offered to “fake news,” with 29 simple rules for avoiding echo chambers and recognizing misinformation.

“Fake News is the New V.D.: Verbal Deception as a Means of Manipulation”

The phrase verbal deception has been coined to better describe what has popularly become known as fake news. OSU Professor Trischa Goodnow will discuss how fake news or verbal deception are being used in the current political climate to manipulate audiences, and the lecture will suggest a simple solution to the problem – logic and reason.

“Der Stürmer, Fake News,and the Making of the “Jewish Criminal” in Nazi Germany”

National Socialist propaganda frequently spread “fake news” about European Jews, but few Nazi publications were as belligerent and unrestrained in their antisemitic attacks as Der Stürmer (The Stormtrooper), published between 1923 and 1945. Der Stürmer perpetuated the myth of Jewish criminality by soliciting public slander about German Jews—in the form of readers’ letters—and passing it off as fact. The methods it used will be discussed by Katherine Hubler, an instructor and Ecampus coordinator with the OSU school of History, Philosophy, and Religion.

“Manufacturing ‘Military Necessity’: Japanese American Internment during World War II”

In 1942, a presidential order ultimately interned 120,000 Japanese Americans living on the West Coast, which a federal commission 40 years later said “was not justified by military necessity” but instead was the result of “race prejudice, war hysteria and a failure of political leadership.” OSU Associate Professor Patricia Sakurai will consider the particular convergence of misinformation, political and business interests, news media, and longstanding anti-Asian sentiment and legislation that sat just below assertions of “military necessity” during the period.

A forum to discuss proposed tuition increases will take place from noon to 1 p.m. on Thursday, March 9, in the Memorial Union Lounge. The forum is hosted by the Memorial Union and the Associated Students of Oregon State University, and representatives from the OSU Budget and Fiscal Planning office will share proposed tuition information.

The event will include an open Q&A period so that students on the Corvallis campus will get a chance to discuss proposed tuition increases, which are set to go into effect beginning Fall Term 2017.

]]>http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/tuition-forum/feed/0Creating the student-centered universityhttp://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/creating-the-student-centered-university/
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2017/creating-the-student-centered-university/#commentsSun, 19 Feb 2017 02:36:02 +0000http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/?p=8932Tim Renick, vice president for enrollment management and student success at Georgia State University, will be a featured speaker.

]]>A panel of speakers will discuss “Creating the Student-Centered University” at Oregon State University on Wednesday, Feb. 22.

The discussion is part of the university’s larger role as a member of the University Innovation Alliance, an 11-member organization that works to make a college degree a reality, particularly for first-generation college students or those with limited financial resources.

The event will be from 4-5 p.m. in the Learning Innovation Center, Room 128. It is free and open to the public, and an hour-long reception follows.

Tim Renick, vice president for enrollment management and student success at Georgia State University, will be a featured speaker. Supporting remarks will be made by OSU President Ed Ray; Susana Rivera-Mills, OSU vice provost and dean for undergraduate studies; and Bridget Burns, executive director of the University Innovation Alliance.

The alliance is comprised of public research universities that span the country, and have committed to produce a total of 860,000 graduates by 2025. A primary focus is to redefine how universities operate, collaborate to improve academic outcomes and help all students achieve a quality college degree.

Renick, who was recently featured in the New York Times, will discuss the student success initiatives and innovative problem-solving approach that enabled his university, Georgia State, to substantially improve its graduation rates and eliminate achievement gaps based on students’ race, ethnicity or income level.

As a principal investigator for a $9 million U.S. Department of Education grant, Renick is studying the impact of proactive, predictive, analytics-based advisement on 10,000 low-income and first-generation students. OSU is part of this multi-institutional project.

Burns is the founding executive director of the University Innovation Alliance, and previously served as an American Council on Education fellow at Arizona State University; chief of staff and senior policy advisor for the Oregon University System; and national associate with the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.

Rivera-Mills has helped develop mentoring and leadership programs for faculty and students; community partnerships; student engagement and success strategies; advancing diversity at OSU and in higher education; internationalization; engaged research; and promoting equity and inclusion. As the executive liaison to the University Innovation Alliance, she oversees all of the collaborative initiatives from the alliance at OSU.

Oregon State University President Edward J. Ray today called on the Oregon Legislature to change course and make state funding for higher education a priority.

“We are at a crossroads, and the path we take will determine the state’s future and the future of all Oregonians,” Ray said during his annual State of the University Address that drew 750 people to the Oregon Convention Center today.

“Oregon’s disinvestment in higher education must not continue. After being adjusted for inflation, our state’s support for higher education has declined 21.7 percent since 2008 – 20 percent more than the national average rate of decline.”

Ray called on Gov. Kate Brown and Oregon legislators to “make college students and their future a priority for this state.”

In his speech, Ray also announced that the OSU Foundation had committed to raise $150 million to support Oregon State’s Student Success Initiative that aims to grow student access to Oregon State and increase substantially student retention and graduation rates by 2020.

Ray reported that the OSU Foundation has already raised more than one-third of its goal, money that will bolster the Student Success Initiative by supporting scholarships, student experiential learning “and other programs that will help all students reach their full potential.”

Without increased state funding, Ray said, student tuition may likely be increased by as much as 9 percent or more at some of Oregon’s universities; educational quality will suffer; and student programs will be cut.

“This impact is landing on the backs of students and their families as tuition now pays 66.9 percent of the cost of Oregon State’s Corvallis campus educational operations and the state only 21.4 percent. This represents more than a 50 percent decline in the state’s contribution from 15 years ago. And a 43 percent increase in the share that student tuition pays.”

Ray said Oregon’s seven public university presidents are seeking a $100 million increase in state operating funds for the 2017-19 biennium and that Oregon State is asking for $69.5 million in state bonding to continue expanding the OSU-Cascades campus in Bend – $49.5 million more than proposed by the governor.

Ray rolled out the Student Success Initiative one year ago, calling on the university within four years to make an OSU degree an affordable reality for every qualified Oregonian.

The initiative included by 2020 raising first-year retention rates for all undergraduate students to 90 percent; raising six-year graduation rates for all undergraduate students to 70 percent; achieving higher completion rates for all groups of graduate and doctoral students; and ensuring that every OSU student has at least one experiential learning opportunity such as an internship or study-abroad experience.

“I am all in for the Student Success Initiative,” Ray said. “As a first-generation college student myself, this is personal, and I am committed to double down and deliver. There is nothing worse for any student than to leave college without a degree – and for the only piece of paper they can show to be a bank statement from their student loan debt.

“While all of our graduates represent the future of Oregon, the nation and the world, it is simply not acceptable that some students have opportunities and others do not.”

Ray said that without requested state bonding, OSU-Cascades’ second classroom building will not open until 2023 at the earliest.

“That the Oregon Legislature would delay serving the demand for higher education in the fastest-growing region in the state is not credible,” he said.

“In 2025 OSU-Cascades will contribute $197.8 million in total annual economic output throughout Oregon,” Ray said. “Campus operations and construction activities will support $72.7 million in annual employee compensation and be responsible for 2,083 jobs across the state. This will result in an additional $3.43 million in annual state income taxes.”

Ray said in 2034, with 5,000 students, OSU-Cascades’ operations and construction activities will contribute $273.7 million in total annual economic output; $98.6 million in annual wages; 3,662 jobs across the state; and $4.83 million paid in annual state taxes.

“I know that Central Oregon residents would say they have waited long enough for a four-year university,” he said. “I hope that all Oregonians will agree that this university campus and its statewide benefits are long overdue.”

In his address, Ray said that 2016 had been another year of notable achievements for Oregon State. Among these:

The university in the fall opened the OSU-Cascades campus in Bend, Oregon’s first completely new college campus in a half-century, by dedicating Tykeson Hall;

Also in the fall, OSU opened Johnson Hall, the new, $40 million home of the School of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, and broke ground on the $65 million Oregon Forest Science Complex;

Grant-funded research at Oregon State totaled a record $336 million, a 9 percent increase from 2015, which had also been a record year;

The U.S. Department of Energy awarded OSU up to $40 million to create the nation’s premier test facility for wave energy;

Enrollment exceeded 30,000 students for the third year in a row, and more than 6,700 degrees were awarded to OSU’s largest-ever graduating class;

For the third year in a row, U.S. News and World Report ranked OSU’s online Ecampus undergraduate programs among the nation’s best – this year with a No. 8 ranking.

Ray also noted that Oregon State’s robotics program, ranked best in the western U.S. and fourth in the nation, has 11 of the country’s top robotics faculty who work with 100 graduate and undergraduate students in “demonstrating how robots and artificial intelligence can operate in the real world.”

When author and MacArthur Fellow Ta-Nehisi Coates stepped out from behind the red curtains in The La Sells Stewart Center on Thursday night, he was cheered by a packed house. In three other overflow rooms around campus, hundreds more waited to watch Coates being live-streamed onto their screens. Coates was speaking on “The Burden of History,” which many felt was particularly relevant given the political events of the previous week.

For Coates, the current spate of Islamophobia being played out on the political stage has direct echoes to his particular area of interest, African American history, and the creation of race and racist policies. Coates said the recent ban on immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries was one example of labeling a certain group of people as “the stranger,” in order to cast them as dangerous and foreign.

By casting Muslims as ‘strangers,’ Coates said it’s an easy step to demand they leave, much in the way that African Americans have been told through the years to ‘go back to Africa.’ He pointed out that blacks have been living in this country since 1619, much longer than many people of European descent, but that you never hear someone say “Go back to Italy.”

“That’s the power of whiteness,” Coates said. Because of the lack of ready labor in the early foundations of the United States, it soon became apparent that slave labor was the easiest way to keep and cultivate the vast tracts of land European men were claiming and overtaking. And as the economic need for black slave labor grew, so did the propensity for blackness to be equated with subhuman characteristics, in order to justify their continued enslavement.

“The idea of the black man as predatory against white women, as criminals, these ideas are bone deep,” Coates said, and also completely constructed by white supremacy.

“Race is a manufactured thing,” Coates said. “And the theory of American diversity holds that different races can’t get along.” By creating divisions, by casting some as strangers, then it becomes easier for the dominant group to take from the other. But the idea of blackness, Coates said, is created.

“Here in Corvallis, I’m proud to be black. But I recognize that in Brazil I might be something else entirely. If I was born during a certain period in South Africa, I might be “colored.” In New Orleans 200 years ago, I would be something else,” he said. Coates joked that anyone who has attended a black family reunion would immediately notice that ‘black’ is a label for a wide variety of people.

“There’s no real test across time,” Coates said. “The Irish, the Italians, the Jews were not immediately accepted as white. They were not accepted under an umbrella of whiteness.”

The shifting attitude toward African slaves, especially during the latter part of the 1700s and into the 1800s, was reinforced by laws that ensured that only white landholders received certain protections. And throughout that early history of America, slavery was an essential part of the country’s development.

“You cannot imagine America without slavery,” he said. “It’s not a bump in the road. It IS the road. If you went to South Carolina in 1860, a majority of the people were enslaved… there were whole counties in Virginia where 70 to 80 percent of the people were enslaved. Collectively this slave labor was worth $3.5 billion of wealth. All the wealth from banks, shipyards, factories, the entire productive capacity of the United States was worth less than the four million black people in the South.”

Coates said he commonly hears people play down the role of slavery on the development of America, but the fact is that previous to the Civil War, economic growth was fueled by centuries of slave labor.

“The way that you accumulated wealth was you bought people and worked them to death,” he said. “It powered the rest of the country.”

And the repercussions are still being felt today. When the Civil War ended in 1865, peoples’ attitudes toward African Americans didn’t magically change.

“If you have 250 years of telling yourself that blacks were not human,” he said, that belief doesn’t shift because of political circumstances. “And what scares me now (about the Muslim ban) is the possibility of us doing it again… At the single stroke of a pen we have become the most Islamophobic country in the West. Putting ‘them’ outside gives you permission to do something to them.”

“To folks on this campus who are from the seven affected countries, I want to tell you ‘I’m with you. I feel you.’ I see my history being repeated again.”

Coates said he wanted students to realize that things that were being taken away were going to be very hard to reverse.

“I don’t want to scare you, I want to inspire you,” he said. “You may not want to hear this but your vote matters a lot.”

He said growing up in the 1980s in Baltimore, he remembers the Clinton-era actions that negatively impacted the black community, and he understood the frustration that some black voters felt over selecting between Trump or Clinton.

“As an adult you have to make decisions that are not ideal, not inspirational,” he said. “But Jeff Sessions is not Eric Holder. Sometimes as we mature and grapple with our political consciousness, there are facts we need to face.”

During a Q&A following his lecture, moderated by Christopher McKnight Nichols, Coates talked about his process as a writer, and writing for himself, not for an external audience and certainly not for progressive whites, although he has a large following among that group. He said when he first started blogging online, he had an audience of two, himself and his dad.

“You’ve got to make peace with the fact that people aren’t going to read you,” he said, and in fact, trying to write simply to get an audience is dangerous. “You will be corrupted if you think about it.”

And while he said as a youth he was very skeptical of the non-violence espoused by the Civil Rights movement, given the violence he experienced every day in Baltimore, he said that a violent uprising is not the way to react to today’s political turmoil, rather it is to change the political system at a grassroots level.

“You have to enrobe yourself in the system,” he said. “Start building from the ground up. Start building the actual architecture. That’s not romantic. It’s not Che Guevara.”